Celebrating World Post Day

World Post Day is celebrated annually on the 9th of October in different countries around the globe. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness amongst people towards the role of postal services in our daily lives. This day raises the profile of postal services and their contribution to global social and economic development. This date marks the anniversary of the creation of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) way back in 1874. The UPU establishes rules for international mail exchange between countries.

Technological advancements have altered the way we communicate and the way we consume. Statistics shows that in Malta the single piece letter mail has been steadfastly on the decline. In 2017 the Malta Communications Authority’s (MCA) statistics showed a significant drop of 3.9% when compared to 2016. This decrease can easily be attributed to the fact that most people are now opting to communicate using online communication platforms such as social media and emails. To balance this trend we note that the number of parcel items handled by postal operators has increased by 4% in 2017 when compared to 2016. Higher activity in eCommerce has without any doubt contributed to such increase.

One of MCA’s functions with respect to the postal services, is to ensure that the universal postal service (UPS) is efficient, affordable and provides adequate quality of service. The UPS ensures that all citizens have access to postal services that are necessary for everyday life. In Malta, Maltapost is the designated universal service provider responsible for services which incorporate both the collection of letters and packages domestically and internationally. In this respect, the MCA imposes obligations on Maltapost such as quality of service, affordability and efficiency in mail collection and delivery.

More information on how the MCA can be of assistance please visit MCA’s FAQs section.